You've never seen a kitchen island sink like this

Two people can comfortably use this SocialCorner sink; a basin in the middle of the island can make dual prepping difficult. (Mali Azima)

Everyone wants more room in the kitchen, and it turns out that plunking your sink in the middle of the kitchen island is a big waste of space.

It was a realization that dawned on kitchen designer Matthew Quinn 12 years ago while working with a 6-foot-wide island.

Advertisement

"As soon as we put the sink in the middle of it, we were going to end up with a maximum of two feet of counter space on either side," he said. "For someone who really cooks, you want as much prep space as possible. We needed a better solution."

So Quinn created a sink using the same stone material as the countertop and positioned it at the corner of the island. No one puts baby in the corner, but putting a sink there worked wonders.

SocialCorner sink (Mali Azima /)

"What used to be two small sections of 24-inch countertop was now one long 48-inch section," says Quinn, "which is so much more usable."

A kitchen island is one of the top 10 most popular features in new homes, according to the latest survey from the National Assn. of Home Builders.

Last year Quinn debuted the SocialCorner sink, a commercially produced stainless-steel version of his design in collaboration with Canadian company Home Refinements. The reaction was a flurry of design awards and the question: Why had no one thought of this before?

"That's what's so weird," Quinn said, "but I think the best solutions tend to be the simplest."

Available in six models, for left or right installation, and standard cabinet widths of 24 inches, 30 inches and 36 inches, the design-disrupting SocialCorner sinks are handcrafted in Canada from 16-gauge stainless steel and feature a brushed finish. They cost from $2,750 to $2,900.

Additional sink accessories and design-enhancing details are set for release this summer.

The Atlanta designer says that although the concept is a natural space saver, the sink can also be used in kitchens with generous square footage. Recently, he installed a lengthy island that was 11 feet long by 5 feet wide and put in two corner sinks, "one on each end, and there was all that space in between."

The corner design also means that two people can comfortably use the sink at the same time instead of being squished next to each other.

"I've put this in kitchens where children are becoming much more involved in the cooking process, and the parents love it," Quinn said. "Instead of standing side by side at the sink, now they're corner-to-corner and able to look at one another while they prep."